Is This Real Life?
by JulesTheOnly
Summary: From the moment they met on the Hogwarts Express, Rose Weasley knew that they should be together. After a fall-out from everything she knows, who will pick her up when she needs it?
1. Chapter 1

The Hogwarts Express was steaming as Rose and her cousin, Albus, boarded. All around them, families were saying goodbye, hugging, and crying. There were mothers attempting to flatten their children's hair, and just as many children attempting to escape to the comfort of the crowded train. Thankfully, Rose and Albus escaped fairly quickly, as their parents were busy berating James for setting off a Dungbomb right under the trunk of a Slytherin boy, whom he didn't like. Rose's mother and Aunt Ginny were chastising James severely, but she could see a satisfied glint in her father and Uncle Harry's eyes. Apparently, they had gone to school with the boy's father, and they never got along.

Mrs. Hermione Weasley turned quickly once they had finished with James. "Rose? Rose!" Rose and Albus stuck their heads out of the windows of the compartment that they had found for themselves.

"We're over here," Albus called out, waving. They exchanged last goodbyes with their parents from there, then shut the windows and found their seats. Albus was running his hand through his already messy black hair, which he did when nervous.

"Are you okay, Al?" Rose asked him with concern.

Albus hesitated. "Uh, yeah," he replied. After a minute, though, he spoke again. "It's just… what if I am put in Slytherin?"

Rose sighed. "You won't be put in Slytherin," she said gently. "You're way too nice. Besides, no one in their right minds would put a Potter in Slytherin."

Albus mussed his hair again. "See, that's just it!" he exclaimed. "Dad says that he almost became a Slytherin! What if the Hat doesn't listen when I ask for Gryffindor?"

Just then, Rose noticed that the compartment door had opened, and a tall boy with blond hair and a pointed face was standing there. "What's wrong with Slytherin?" the boy asked, taking a seat next to Rose. "All the other compartments are full," he said, by way of explanation.

Rose nodded slightly at the boy. She didn't remember him from earlier on the Platform. "Nothing is _inherently_ wrong with the House itself," she replied cynically.

Albus scoffed. "Come on, Rosie. Your dad always says that almost every Dark wizard came out of Slytherin."

Rose shrugged. "Not all. And it's not like every single Slytherin goes bad. Mum says that the main trait of Slytherins is that they're cunning. That's not a bad thing."

The blond boy was nodding vehemently. "Yes, exactly!" he said enthusiastically. "My name is Scorpius, by the way. Scorpius Malfoy."

Albus blanched. "_You're_ Scorpius Malfoy?" he asked in shock. Rose kicked her cousin in the shin. "_What?_" he mouthed at her.

She turned and extended a hand toward Scorpius. "Rose Weasley," she said, then turned toward Albus. "And this is my cousin, Albus Potter."

Scorpius shook Rose's hand, then turned toward Albus for a handshake, but Albus just stared at the boy's pale hand in distaste.

Just then, a fat, ancient witch came by, pushing a cart loaded with sweets. "Anything from the trolley, dears?" she asked them.

The three of them all stood, pulling coins from their pockets. Rose had the least amount of money out of all three of them. The Weasley family was doing better financially, but their Gringotts vault still couldn't compare to the Potter or Malfoy fortunes. Of course, Rose's Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny were more than willing to share their money with the Weasleys, but Rose's parents were too embarrassed to take their money. The Potters always managed to slip a few Galleons in on them, however. Whenever Rose or her brother, Hugo had a birthday, there were always several shiny gold Galleons taped to the inside of the cards.

Albus bought a huge stack of sweets, mostly made up of Cauldron Cakes and Chocolate Frogs. He had a large collection of Chocolate Frog cards, which he stored in a shoebox. Scorpius Malfoy also got a few frogs, but spent most of his money on Bertie Bott's Beans and Licorice Wands. Rose contented herself with a pack of Droobles and a couple of Pumpkin Pasties.

The three young students sat back down after the old witch had departed and tore into their sweets. Rose noticed that Scorpius was picking carefully through his Beans, eyeing each one carefully before eating it. Apparently, this boy ate them often, as he knew exactly which ones were "safe", and which to stay away from. Many people, Albus included, tended to tear wildly through the packets, eating handfuls at a time, and then paid for it by getting a mouthful of vomit, earwax, and liver flavored beans at the same time.

A few minutes of awkward silence passed, where the only sounds heard were that of wrappers crinkling. Rose, in an attempt to break the silence, turned to Scorpius Malfoy. "So, Scorpius," she said. "Do you collect Chocolate Frog cards?" she asked him curiously.

Scorpius had just bitten the head off of a frog, which was really the best way to immobilize them. He chewed for a moment, swallowed, and shook his head. "No. Father says it's childish," he explained. Subconsciously, Albus shifted his candy wrappers to cover the pile of cards that he was planning on adding to his collection.

At that point, they were saved from another awkward silence when the compartment door opened again. James and Fred, a few more cousins of Rose's were standing together in the doorway. "Hey, Al," James said, nodding at his younger brother. He then leaned past Scorpius Malfoy and ruffled Rose's hair. "Hey, Rosie," he greeted fondly with a wide grin. Fred was leaning against the doorframe with his eyes crossed.

Fred then looked over at Scorpius, who James seemed not to even notice. "Who's your friend?" he asked his cousins.

Rose was opening her mouth to answer, but Albus cut her off. "He's not our friend," he said quickly.

Rose shot Al an annoyed glance. "This is Scorpius," she told Fred.

"Malfoy," Albus added with a sneer. Scorpius just stared at his lap, tapping his fingers on his knee. James' eyebrows shot up and Fred took a better look at the blond boy sitting next to his cousin.

"Well, then," James said awkwardly. "We should be there soon. I'd get changed if I were you."

The younger students nodded, and James and Fred left, chatting animatedly with each other about Dungbombs.

The train soon stopped in Hogsmeade. Rose and Albus had been to Hogsmeade before, usually to visit the Hogsmeade branch of their Uncle George's joke shop. After getting off of the train, they could hear a familiar, booming voice from somewhere to their left. "Firs' years, this way! Firs' years! Firs' years, this way!" Rose turned and saw Hagrid there, who often visited their home for dinner.

"Hagrid!" Rose said excitedly, then grabbed Albus' hand and dragged her cousin over to the huge man, whose beard and hair was now streaked with grey. After all, he was no longer young.

Hagrid grinned, making the skin around his eyes crinkle. "Hey, Rosie. Hey, Al. Are yeh ready for yer firs' year? Excited?"

Albus nodded quickly. "Yeah, it should be great," he said excitedly.

They soon boarded the boats, as their parents had described. Hagrid had a boat to himself, and he led them across the cold, dark lake. Rose was in a boat with Albus, Scorpius Malfoy, and a girl with long blonde hair and glasses. In the distance, Rose could have sworn she saw a tentacle trail lazily across the top of the water. The tapped Albus on the shoulder and pointed, but it was already gone. A quick glance exchanged with Scorpius showed that he saw it, though. Rose thought James had been lying about there being a giant squid.

"Did you see that?" Scorpius asked in amazement, with his grey eyes wide. Rose nodded, before seeing Albus' look of disbelief.

The boats steered themselves of their own accord, and Rose couldn't contain her gasp as they rounded a bend, so that she could see the castle for the first time. Rose wasn't the only one, either. Everyone around her was staring up at the castle in awe. Rose had never seen anything like it before. Hogwarts Castle looked like something out of the Muggle fairy tales that her mother used to read to her. It had beautiful turrets and towers, and the windows were orange from the fireplaces flickering merrily inside. When Rose had heard that Hogwarts was a castle, she had imagined something like Buckingham Palace, which she had visited the summer before. Hogwarts was infinitely more grand.

The blonde girl sitting behind Rose looked like her eyes were about to bug out of her head. Albus, too, was staring upward, letting his mouth hang open.

Soon, the boats stopped and the new students disembarked. They were all silent, following Hagrid up to the castle. Some of the students looked utterly terrified, but most looked nervous but excited. One small boy was whispering to the boy beside him about having to duel a herd of centaurs for the Sorting.

**A/N. Hey, Jules here! So, this is my first legit fanfiction in quite some time. And it's also my first next generation fic. I've just been reading a lot of Rose/ Scorpio stories lately. You know. I got the bug. XD**

** Anyway, I've got through about chapter 3 written, but not typed, so I'll get on that once I can. I only have 10 more days of school, so once that's over, I'll have A LOT more time to write.**

** Until then, did you like it? Yes? No? What were the best parts? Worst parts? So far, who are your favorites out of my characters? (Obviously, I haven't introduced or developed many characters yet. Don't worry. More will come. Especially chapter 3… lots of character interaction in that chapter.**

** So, yeah! This is Jules, signing off.**


	2. Chapter 2

When they reached a great pair of oak double doors, Hagrid raised his mighty fist to knock on the doors, but they swung open before he made any contact.

Standing in the entrance hall was a familiar professor, who smiled at the students with his cheerful, round face. The man was just about to speak when there was a loud cackling, followed by a boisterous, obnoxious voice. "Look, look, ickle firsties!" A little man appeared, who was wearing a loud orange bow tie and floated about seven feet in the air. He did a somersault, then surveyed the crowd. Spotting the tiny blond boy who had been thinking about centaurs, the little man zoomed over their heads and dropped a water balloon, which he had apparently been hiding behind his back.

The short boy squealed and the professor stepped forward. "Peeves!" he shouted. "Do you want me to go get the Bloody Baron?" Peeves laughed gleefully, blew a raspberry, and zoomed off.

The professor watched as Peeves left, then turned back to the students, shaking his head. "I apologize on behalf of Peeves. He's the school's poltergeist, and quite the prankster. In my days at Hogwarts, I was fairly terrified of him." The girl with blond hair and glasses, whom they had shared a boat with, laughed. The professor grinned at her.

"Now, then," he said, clapping his hands together. "I am Professor Longbottom. Here at Hogwarts, I am Herbology teacher, as well as head of Gryffindor House. I hope that I get to know all of you during your time at this school.

"In a few minutes, you will go into the Great Hall for the Sorting Ceremony. Keep in mind, that the sorting is extremely important, as it will determine which House you will be placed in for the duration of your years here. Within your house, you will eat together, attend classes together, and even live together.

"We have a competition here for the House Cup. To earn the cup, your house must have the most House Points. Teachers may give out House Points as rewards, and will deduct points for any rule- breaking. I hope that you will all be beneficial to your respective houses." Professor Longbottom smiled at the new students. "Good luck to all of you. I am going to go prepare for the Sorting. Please wait here. I will return for you all in just a few minutes."

The students watched Professor Longbottom's retreating back. The minute the doors closed behind him, they all broke out chattering. Rose and Albus huddled together, talking quietly, when Rose saw Scorpius standing alone near them. The young girl felt bad for Scorpius, so she called him over. "So, Scorpius," she said nicely. "What House do you think you'll be in?"

Scorpius shrugged. "Probably Slytherin, I suppose," he replied dully.

Albus coughed, covering up what sounded like him saying "That figures." Scorpius then turned slowly to look at Rose's tactless cousin. "Excuse me?" he asked, in a tone that was too polite to be true. "What was that?"

Albus stood up straight staring at Scorpius. Unfortunately, Albus had inherited his father's height, so he was nowhere near as tall as Scorpius was. "I was just saying that it figures you'll be a Slytherin, considering who your family is."

Scorpius' eyes were cold. "What do you mean?" he asked, feigning innocence.

Albus smirked. "Well, everyone knows that your family is just a bunch of filthy Death Eaters."

Rose grabbed Albus' arm. "Come on, Al. Forget it."

Bot Scorpius wouldn't let her cousin off the hook that easily. "No," he said to Rose. "Let the boy talk. What's this about my family?"

"Oh, you know. They're all Death Eaters and you'll probably end up as one, too." On that note, Scorpius Malfoy practically launched himself at Albus and the two boys fell to the floor, fists flying. The double doors opened then, and as soon as Professor Longbottom saw the two boys, he cast a quick spell, which separated them by about five feet.

"Fighting!" He said, practically yelling. "After the Sorting, you will both miss the start of term feast. Instead, you will go straight to my office. I will be writing to both of your parents, as well. Albus Potter, I expected better of you. And you," he said, looking at Scorpius. "What is your name?"

Scorpius was staring at the ground. "Scorpius Malfoy," he mumbled. He had a bloody nose, while Albus was sporting a busted lip, and had a black eye beginning to form.

Professor Longbottom faltered slightly, taking a closer look at Scorpius. "Right then," he finally said. "Well, if you will all follow me, we are ready for the Sorting to begin."

The students followed the professor into the Great Hall, where most of their mouths fell open in awe. The ceiling mirrored the night sky exactly. Rose looked at Albus, who was walking next to her. "They've bewitched the ceiling so that it looks like the night sky. I read all about it in _Hogwarts: A History_.

Albus rolled his eyes. "Of course you did," he said affectionately, and Rose swatted his arm. She then caught James and Fred's eyes, and they both winked. Victoire was also at the table, but she and her younger sister, Dominique were busy talking to several boys.

The students formed a crowd near the long table where all the teachers sat, in front of a wooden, three- legged stool. Professor Longbottom then placed a battered old hat on the stool and backed away. To the shock of many students, the hat opened a rip like a mouth and began to sing a lengthy song, describing the traits and history of the four Houses.

Once the hat had finished its song, the Hall broke out in applause. Then, they quieted quickly as Longbottom lifted the Hat up and unrolled a large roll of parchment. In a loud, clear voice, he called out, "Allen, Robert." Robert Allen, a short boy with curly blond hair, approached the stool slowly and sat down. Professor Longbottom placed the hat upon his head. After several long moments, the rip in the hat opened and called out "Ravenclaw!" Robert Allen grinned, then ran quickly over to the Ravenclaw table, where several students clapped him on the back.

And so, the Sorting began in earnest. The Hat began sorting the young students quickly. Rose recognized several surnames from her parent's school stories, such as "Finnigan, Anna," who became a Gryffindor; "Goyle, David", who became a Slytherin as soon as the hat touched his head; and "Davies, Cecilia", who was a Hufflepuff. At one point, Professor Longbottom called out "Longbottom, Alice", proudly, and the blonde girl whom they had shared a boat with scurried up, throwing her father a quick grin. It took a moment to sort her, but Alice became a Gryffindor. Professor Longbottom seemed to clap louder than anyone for her.

Next up, Longbottom called out "Malfoy, Scorpius". Scorpius approached the stool and took a seat. Before placing the hat on his head, Rose heard Professor Longbottom quietly tell him to wait by the doors for him and Albus, so that he could go to his office. The hat was on Malfoy's head for quite some time, while Scorpius chewed his lip slightly. After a while, the hat announced that Scorpius would be a Slytherin. People looked at him very strangely when, instead of going to sit with his house, Scorpius went to the doors, standing sulkily there while holding a napkin to his bleeding nose.

After a few more minutes, Albus' name was called. He walked to the stool, running a hand through his already messy black hair. Rose crossed her fingers mentally, hoping that her favorite cousin would be sorted into Gryffindor like he wanted. Longbottom told Al the same thing that he had told Scorpius, then placed the battered old hat on top of his head. Almost before the hat even settled, it yelled "Gryffindor!" All of Rose's cousins started yelling and clapping, and James scooted over to allow his younger brother a place to sit. But Albus, as smug as he was looking, couldn't sit with his family. Instead, he went and stood near Scorpius at the door to wait for Professor Longbottom.

It was mildly humorous to watch the two boys. They stood on opposite sides of the huge door in mirroring positions. Both boys were facing resolutely away from each other with their arms crossed, but taking turned shooting each other angry glares over their shoulders.

The Sorting ceremony continued on, until there was only Rose and one other girl standing. Professor Longbottom cleared his throat, then called, "Weasley, Rose." Rose approached the hat slowly with her hands balled into fists to keep from shaking. She was fairly certain that she would become a Gryffindor, but she was still worried. Professor Longbottom placed the hat on top of her head, and as soon as it settled, a small voice appeared in her mind.

"Aha," it said. "Another Weasley. The daughter of Ron and Hermione Weasley, both Gryffindors, if I am correct. You seem to have inherited your parents' bravery, as well as your mother's brains. Yes, but where to put you? You would do well in any House… Well, perhaps not Hufflepuff. No, Hufflepuff is not for you. As much as you are like your parents, though, your spirit seems to be very different than their's. Yes, I have made my decision. Better be Slytherin!"

** A/N. Jules again! So, I hoped you liked chapter 2. Who do you like better so far: Scorpius or Al? Personally, I love Scorp. =3 **

**What did you think of the fight? And Rose becoming a Slytherin? How do you think that'll affect her relationships with her family? **

**As usual, tell me what you like, love, hate, as annoyed with, etc. Reviews make me smile, and so do alerts. Thanks to LyricsofEpiphany and vballplaya7 for adding my story to their alert list. It makes me feel loved.**

**Chapter three should be up with just a few days, so keep an eye out. It may even be up by tomorrow! We'll have to see how much I end up writing tonight.**

**See you!**


	3. Chapter 3

The entire Great Hall grew painfully silent as they stared at Rose. A Weasley? In Slytherin? Unheard of. Rose stepped off the stool and desperately tried to catch her family's eyes, but they had all busied themselves with examining the table or picking at their fingernails. In fact, the only person who would make contact with Rose was Scorpius Malfoy. He arched one eyebrow at her, and Rose just stared at the floor and walked over to sit at the Slytherin table.

One Slytherin girl smiled slightly at her as "Wood, Emily" was sorted into Ravenclaw. "Welcome to Slytherin," the older girl was saying. "I'm Amy Thomas. Third year. My dad was your dad's dormmate."

Rose looked at Amy with a hopeful expression. She was African American, and her hair was extremely curly. _Thomas,_ Rose thought, trying to remember a Thomas from her dad's stories. _Thomas…_ "Oh, your father is Dean Thomas?" Rose asked, finally remembering. Amy nodded. "My name is Rose."

Amy grinned. "I bet you didn't expect to be a Slytherin, did you? Don't worry, I didn't, either. But Slytherin's really not bad. There are some really great people in this house."

Just then, Professor McGonagall cleared her throat. "Attention! Attention, students! To all of our new students, welcome. To all older students, welcome back to Hogwarts! Before we begin this excellent feast, I would like to make a few announcements. First of all, I have been asked to remind you that all Weasley's Wizard Wheezes products are banned for the grounds." The corners of her mouth tugged upward a bit at that. "Also, please remember that the Forbidden Forest is aptly named. No student is to enter the Forest unaccompanied by a teacher." Her eyes fell upon James and Fred, who smirked. "Now, then. I hope you all have a wonderful year here at Hogwarts. Let our marvelous feast begin."

Just then, the tables were completely filled with delicious food. Rose's mouth began to water as she scooped mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables, rolls, and pasta onto her plate. Amy gestured to a plate of ham, which was in front of her. "Ham? It's excellent," she offered.

Rose shook her head. "No, thank you," she replied. "I'm a vegetarian." She bagan to eat, and the food was just as delicious as it had looked and smelled.

A first year girl who Rose didn't remember the name of was sitting across from her. Her hair was black a straight, and she had startlingly blue eyes. "Hi," she said with a smile. "My name is Will Hartford."

"Will?" Rose asked.

"It's short for Wilhemina. I think you understand why I go by Will."

Rose grinned. "Of course."

A ghost with a gaunt face and what looked like silvery bloodstains drifted up to the girls. "Hello," he said in a gravelly voice. "Welcome to Slytherin, Hogwarts' most noble house."

Amy smiled at the ghost. "Hello there, Baron. Did you have a nice summer?"

The Baron shook his head slowly. "No, I cannot say I did. Peeves decided to upend the entire school."

Amy clucked her tongue sympathetically. "Ah, of course. Well, I'm sure you put him right." Without another word, the Bloody Baron drifted away. Amy looked at Will and Rose. "That was the Bloody Baron. He's Slytherin House ghost. He's… mildly terrifying at times. If I were you, I wouldn't get on his bad side."

Rose and Will nodded, and the girls went back to eating.

Too soon, the feast was over. The first years were told to follow their respective prefects to their common rooms. The Slytherins followed after a tall boy with dirty blond hair out of the Great Hall. Rose expected to go upstairs like the other Houses did, but instead, they turned and were led downstairs to the dungeons.

They approached a spot of wall where the prefect stopped them. He watched the wall, then said "Noble blood". The wall then slid to the side, revealing a grand common room within. Once all of the students were inside, the wall slid back into place and the prefect called attention to himself. "This is the Slytherin common room," he announced. "This is where you will hang out or do homework, or do whatever it is you do. The boy's dormitory is up the stairs to your right, and the girls is the same on your left."

After that, the students dispersed to find their dormitories. Up the stairs, Rose found a door with a plaque reading "First Year Girls". She entered the room and saw four four- poster beds located around the room, along with four bedside tables, four wardrobes, and a connecting bathroom. Their trunks were already places at the foot of each bed.

Right after Rose found her trunk, her dormmates started trickling in, starting with Will. Next, two more girls came in. One, a girl with dark auburn hair, was talking quickly, gesturing with her hands a lot, while the brunette girl beside her looked mildly disinterested. The auburn girl stopped mid- sentence when she spotted Rose and Will. "Hi, there!" she said excitedly. "My name is Lila Montague! And this is Jessica Flint."

"Hi," Will said. "I'm Will Hartford, and this is Rose Weasley." The girls then sat on the edge of their beds, chatting and getting to know each other. Lila's mouth ran a mile a minute, while Jessica seemed to be very quiet and cynical. From what Rose could tell, Will was extremely intelligent, and seemed nice. Rose wondered what she was doing in Slytherin. It didn't seem like her type of house.

One by one, the girls began to drift off to sleep. The large quantities of food they had consumed had lulled them to sleep. Rose's bed was extremely comfortable, almost as if it had magically adjusted to her preferences. Which, when she thought about it, was entirely possible.

When Rose woke up, Lila and Jessica's beds were already vacated. Rose rubbed her eyes, then noticed a girl with short, curly purple hair bustling around the room and getting ready. She was confused for a moment until she saw the girl's blue eyes and realized that it was Will. "Um… how did you do that?"

Will stopped. "Do what? Oh, you mean my hair?" Rose nodded. "I'm a metamorphmagus. It means-"

"You can change your appearance at will." Rose said, cutting her off. "Yeah, my uncle's godson is one, as well."

Will looked extremely excited. "Really?" she squealed. "Oh, Merlin, I've never met another one! I mean, I got it from my grandmother, but she died before I was born. Do you think I could meet him?"

Rose laughed. "He left Hogwarts last year, but may someday you can."

Will grinned and hugged Rose. "Oh, thank you, Rose!" She glanced at her watch. "Oh, we need to go! Breakfast will be over soon! Get dressed." Rose complied and pulled on her new uniform with the Slytherin crest emblazoned on it, and the two girls started on their way to the Great Hall.

Thankfully, they only got lost once on the way to breakfast, so it wasn't quite time for classes to begin yet. They would have to hurry, however. Most of the students around them were either just finishing their food or were already done. Rose and Will found one of the many empty seats at the Slytherin table and began to pile eggs and toast onto their plates.

Rose looked around the Great Hall, searching for any of her family members, but they weren't there. They had probably already eaten and were doing… whatever it is you do before classes at Hogwarts.

After eating, Rose and Will started off toward their first class, which was Charms. Right before they got to class, though, Rose stopped. "I need to use the loo. You go on ahead."

Will stopped, as well. "Oh. Are you sure you don't want me to wait for you?"

"No, go on ahead. I'll only be a moment." Rose ducked into the lavatory quickly, then ran out after 'doing her business', determined not to be late to her first class at Hogwarts.

**A/N. Jules again! Anyway, I hope you liked chapter 3. I know not too much happened in this chapter, but… I feel like it was mildly important. All of the girls introduced in this chapter will end up being important. Any predictions of what'll happen to them?**

**So, who do you like best now? And how'd you feel about Will being a Metamorphmagus? I thought it was interesting. Something different, you know.**

**By the way, in my mind, James Jr. and Fred Jr. remind me of Fred and George Sr. Albus reminds me of James Sr. At the moment, Rose reminds me of a cross between Ginny and Hermione, but that may change. I dunno. **

**Also, I have a question. I have been writing in third person, following Rose around. I've been thinking about changing points of view, though. Like, third person following Albus, or Scorpius, or Will. Or some first person in various characters. Would that bug people, or should I go for it?**

**Scorpius in the next chapter! =D**


	4. Chapter 4

Because of her pit stop, Rose came skidding into class seconds before it began. The Professor glanced up at her. "Ah, how nice of you to join us, Miss…"

"Weasley," Rose muttered.

The Professor nodded. "Right, then. Well, Miss Weasley, you may have a seat next to Mr. Malfoy there." Rose looked around the room and saw that there were no other seats available. Will was sitting with Jessica Flint, from their dorm.

Scorpius nodded at Rose when she sat down beside him. He was looking much better after Madam Pomfrey had had a go at him. The Professor cleared his throat. With a flick of his wand, and piece of chalk rose up and began to take notes on what he said.

"Welcome, class, to Charms. I am your teacher, Professor Macmillan. This is my first year teaching here at Hogwarts, as Professor Flitwick went into a much- deserved retirement." Professor Macmillan seemed a bit pompous. "In this class, you will be doing mostly practical work. The main purpose of your textbooks is to reinforce what you will lean in this classroon."

First, Professor Macmillan showed the students how to properly hold their wand. Many of them scoffed, saying that such work was a waste of time, until poor Alice Longbottom blew up a large portion of her desk by choking too far up on her wand.

Next, their teacher taught them the Levitation spell. "Can anyone here tell me the proper incantation for the Levitation spell?" Both Rose and Scorpius' hands shot into the air. Professor Macmillan chuckled. "Yes. How about Miss Weasley."

Rose took a breath, then said in a clear voice, "_Wingardium Leviosa_."

Macmillan nodded. "Yes, yes. Well done. Been reading ahead, eh? Can anyone tell me the proper wand movement?" Scorpius and Rose again thrust their hands into the air. "Yes, Mr. Malfoy?"

"It's a swish and flick movement," Scorpius stated.

"Yes, good work. Five points to Slytherin for both of you. Now, I am going to give each of you a feather, which you will attempt to levitate. For homework, please read the section in the book on levitation and practice. I will be roaming around the room to help you. Oh, and if, after you succeed in the spell, you have free time, do introduce yourselves to the person sitting next to you, as you will be in these same seats for the duration of the term."

Feathers floated lazily onto everyone's desks, and the room was suddenly filled with the first years' incantations. Rose thought she saw Scorpius looking at her from the corner of her eye. She suddenly remembered her father's words, telling her to beat him in every test. With that thought in mind, Rose held her wand delicately, pointed it at the feather, and muttered, "_Wingardium Leviosa_." She had practiced several of the charms in her spellbooks, including this one, so the feather lifted easily into the air.

"Not bad," Rose heard Scorpius say. She looked at him and saw that his feather was also in the air. No one else had managed to get their feathers to fly, although Jessica Flint was very close. Her's kept jumping about three inches into the air.

"Well done, you two," Professor Macmillan said, patting them on the back. "Trying to live up to your parents, eh? They were the top two in their class. I was at school with them, you know." The Professor then walked off to lecture Lila about while talking while doing magic.

Just then, Rose noticed an untidy black head a few seats away from her. "Al! Hey, Al!" she said. Albus turned his head, but once he saw that it was Rose, he turned back to his feather.

"He saw the Sorting, you know," Scorpius said from beside her.

"Yes, I would expect he did," Rose replied sarcastically.

"I mean, he's not happy about you being in Slytherin. Something about you 'hiding your dark side'. Anyway, it is incredibly stupid, but he isn't too happy about it."

Rose stared at Scorpius. "How do you know?"

"Well, we were stuck in Longbottom's office for a good hour and a half. He was trying to get us to talk it out, but it was really just Potter yelling about Death Eaters, which apparently for him, is a synonym for Slytherin."

Rose blanched. "Wait, so… Al thinks I'm a Death Eater?"

Scorpius shook his head. "No, not yet. But he thinks you may be on your way."

"What? But we're cousins! We're best friends! He knows I'm not going to be a Death Eater! I've known him my whole life!"

Scorpius just shrugged. "Look, I'm sorry. And no offense to you, but Potter doesn't seem like the brightest person in the school. He'll calm down eventually, I expect."

But Rose was mad. How could Al do this to her? He was her best friend! Just because she was Sorted into Slytherin, he was going to ignore her? Fine. Two could play at that game. "Right, then," she said through clenched teeth. "Well, thank you, Scorpius."

Scorpius nodded. "Anytime."

After class, there was a break before the students had to go to Herbology, so Rose went to write to her parents.

_Dear Mum and Dad,_

_I'm sorry I didn't write last night- I was busy getting to know my dormmates. They are Will Hartford, Lila Montague, and Jessica Flint. Will is actually a Metamorphmagus! I told her about Teddy and she really wants to meet him._

_So, I think you should know (if you haven't heard by now) that I was Sorted into Slytherin. While I realize that the two of you may be disappointed that I'm not in Gryffindor like the rest of the family, I want you to know that I was put into Slytherin, it is my house, and I fully plan on making the best of the situation. _

_Unfortunately, Al does not seem to understand that. I was told by a new friend that he thinks that "Slytherin" is synonymous with "Death Eater". I thought Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny raised their children away from the old prejudices._

_Anyway, Hogwarts is great. I've already earned five points for knowing about the Levitation spell in Charms._

_Write back soon,_

_Rose_

Rose read back over the letter quickly. It was short, which her mother wouldn't appreciate, but she was pushed for time. Rose would write more later. She got directions to the owlery from an older student, and hurried off to mail the letter before class started.

When Rose reached the owlery, she realized that she was not alone. Near the back of the large room was a boy with blond hair, concentrating on tying a letter to the leg of a Great Horned Owl. Scorpius Malfoy, of course. Rose tapped him on the shoulder, which made him jump. "Writing to your parents?" she asked him.

Scorpius nodded. "Yeah. They told me to write last night, but I didn't want to. They'll be furious with me, I expect, because of the fight."

"Me, too," Rose said. "I had to come clean about being in Slytherin. Why will your parents be furious? It's no secret that your dad and Uncle Harry hated each other."

Scorpius shrugged. "They used to. But my father has changed. And he doesn't want me to get caught up in his old fight."

"Uncle Harry says so, too. But Al takes more after my father than his own. He's incredible hard- headed." Rose bit her lip. "I love my cousin. He's like a brother. But he's never been very understanding."

"Or polite," Scorpius interjected. "We had to eat together last night, and his table manners are atrocious."

Rose laughed. "And I suppose your manners are so much better?" she countered.

Scorpius nodded. "Well, of course. I'm a Malfoy. I was raised in high society."

Rose called her own, Selene, down. She was a snowy owl, and had been a gift from her Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny. After tying a letter to Selene's leg, Rose turned to Scorpius. "Well, shall we head down to Herbology?"

Scorpius nodded. "Yes, of course." The two first years went out and began to walk across the grounds toward the greenhouses. Scorpius glanced sideways at Rose. "It may interest you to know that we don't have Herbology with the Gryffindors."

Rose knew what Scorpius was doing. He was trying to make her feel better about Albus. "Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked him.

Scorpius shrugged. "Because I have no reason not to be. Besides, I know what it's like to be judged for something you can't control."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm a Malfoy. My dad was a Death Eater. He was also one of Hogwarts' biggest bullies. My grandfather was one of Voldemort's most loyal servants. When people see me, they see my father or grandfather, even though we're all completely different people." Scorpius frowned, frustrated. "Trust me. I know how you're feeling."

Rose nodded slowly, then saw that they had reached the greenhouses. "Well, it's time for class."

**A/N. Hellloooooo, lovely readers! Jules here! I hope you enjoyed chapter four of "Is This Real Life?". So, how'd you feel about Albus ignoring Rose? How long do you think it'll take for him and Rose to make up? And how do you like Scorpius? And his obvious daddy issues? D'you like how I tossed Ernie Macmillan in there? XD**

**So, favorite characters so far? Rose? Scorpius? Albus? Will? Amy? Lila? Jessica? James? Fred? Neville? Ernie? McGonagall? Peeves? The Bloody Baron? The Slytherin Prefect? Hah. Yeah. Review, add to alerts, etc.**


	5. Chapter 5

The rest of the week flew by. Albus still wasn't talking to Rose, and even James and Fred seemed to be ignoring her now. She grew very close to Scorpius, Will, and Lila. Jessica was a bit difficult to get close to, but they were still friendly. Two days after she sent the letter to her parents, Rose received a reply.

_Dear Rosie,_

_First of all, we are both thrilled that you are making friends. Perhaps Will can come over Christmas and meet Teddy. I'm sure he would love to become aquatinted with another Metamorphmagus._

_Now, about Slytherin. We _do not mind_. If Slytherin is the right place for you, then by all means, enjoy is! Your father was slightly disappointed, but I spoke with him and he is fine now. Just don't get too caught up in the Slytherin mindset._

_And I am so sorry about Albus. I spoke to Harry and Ginny, and they are very disappointed in him. They'll probably write him soon and try to talk sense into him, but you know Al. He's too much like his Uncle Ron. When we were younger, your father and I would go without speaking for weeks at a time, and look where we are now. Obviously, I do not want you to marry your cousin, but he will come around. You've been too close for too long to just forget that._

_Congratulations on your success in classes so far. Neville wrote to us and said that you are very good in Herbology. We are so proud, Rosie._

_We love you,_

_Mum (and Dad)_

Rose smiled. Her mother was right. Al would come around. At least her parents were-

A loud voice coming from the Gryffindor table interrupted Rose's thoughts. "ALBUS SEVERUS POTTER! WHAT HAS GOTTEN INTO YOU?" Uncle Harry's voice echoed throughout the Great Hall in the form of a Howler. "FIRST I FIND OUT THAT YOU'VE GOTTEN INTO A FIGHT WITHIN YOUR _FIRST FIVE MINUTES_ AT HOGWARTS! NOT ONLY A FIGHT, BUT ONE THAT _YOU_ PROVOKED? YOU HAVE NO IDEA JUST HOW DISAPPOINTED YOUR MOTHER AND I ARE IN YOU! I SPECIFICALLY TOLD YOU NOT TO GO OFF AND FIGHT SCORPIUS MALFOY, AND WHAT DO YOU DO? YOU GO OFF AND FIGHT HIM!

"AND THEN, AFTER WE WERE ALREADY FURIOUS ENOUGH, YOUR AUNT HERMIONE TELLS US THAT YOU'RE IGNORING YOUR COUSIN JUST BECAUSE SHE WAS SORTED INTO SLYTHERIN! WE RAISED YOU BETTER THAN THAT, ALBUS. YOU _WILL_ TALK TO HER AGAIN, ALBUS SEVERUS. AND IF YOU DON'T, WE WILL KNOW!" Then, the Howler blew up.

The silence in the Great Hall rang in Rose's ears. She just stared at her plate with red cheeks. Will and Scorpius were being painfully silent. Then, Will started making faces at Rose, like she was trying to warn her of something. Someone tapped Rose on the shoulder, and she turned to see Albus, looking furious.

"You told on me? To your mom?" he yelled incredulously. "It's none of _Aunt Hermione's_ business who I do and don't talk to, and I'll fight whoever I want! They want me to talk to you? Fine. We'll have a little chat. You're just a spoiled little tattling brat. You think you're better than everyone else, but you're not. You're nothing, and I'm glad you're in Slytherin, because it means you're away from me. Have fun with your little Death Eaters."

He turned to leave and Scorpius stood up sharply, but Rose yanked him back down. Scorpius looked at Rose questioningly. "I don't want to get you in trouble, too," she explained, her eyes full of tears and resolve. She wouldn't be writing to her parents about Albus again. She also wouldn't take this lying down.

Rose glanced at the teacher's table and saw Professor Longbottom watching her sympathetically. She got up and swung her bag over one shoulder. As she was walking through the halls, Rose spotted the Bloody Baron and was struck with an idea. "Baron! Hey, Baron, sir!"

The Bloody Baron stopped and slowly turned to face Rose. "Yes?" he asked in his eerie, gravelly voice.

"Please, sir. Do you know where Peeves is?"

The Baron looked upwards at the ceiling. "Peeves is probably wreaking havoc on the transfiguration wing, as per usual," he said slowly.

Rose nodded. "Thank you, Baron!" she said, and rushed off towards the Transfiguration Wing.

The Baron had been right. Peeves was busy smashing ink bottles near the Transfiguration classroom. "Peeves!" Rose called, which startled the poltergeist.

"Ah, look," he said gleefully. "It's the newest ickle Weasel!"

Rose nodded. "Yeah, yeah. See, I wanted to meet you. My uncle, George Weasley, told me that you're the King of Pranks. He said you couldn't be beaten. Apparently, he and his twin couldn't even out- prank you while they were at Hogwarts." Rose was turning on the charm full- force.

Peeves swelled slightly with pride. "Did he, now? The Weasel twins always were my favorites, they were."

"Right," Rose said quickly. "Well, I was wondering if you could do me a favor,"

Peeves hung upside down and squinted at Rose. "Why should Peeves?"

Rose shrugged, thinking fast. "Oh, well, my uncle was thinking about writing a book about you. You know, your best pranks and such. Mostly like propaganda so people can know how much of a genius you are."

Peeves grinned. "Well, I am a genius."

"Right. So Uncle George wanted me to kind of watch you, to make sure you're still a genius. But I wouldn't want to lie to him, so I wanted to give you a sort of 'mission' to make sure I can tell Uncle George something good about you."

"A mission?" Peeves asked with interest. "What kind of mission?"

"Well," Rose said. "I was thinking you could kind of follow a certain student around, as a sort of target."

"Any student?" Peeves asked.

Rose shook her head. "Well, no," she admitted. "I was thinking you could follow Albus Potter around."

Peeves laughed. "Ickle Potter Wee Potty? But isn't Georgie his uncle, too?"

Rose nodded. "Yes, he is. That's why you should go after him- because then, he can tell Uncle George what it's like to be his target."

Peeves seemed to think about it a moment. He grinned. "Very clever, Weaselbee! Peevsie will do it." He then zoomed off.

"Rose?" A now familiar voice came from the shadows, and Scorpius emerged. "Did you really just do that?"

"Do what?" Rose asked innocently.

"You know," Scorpius said with a shrug. "Trick Peeves into going after Potter."

Rose turned bright red. "Oh, er… yeah… I mean, I was just kind of upset about what he said and…"

"You have every right to be mad. You're finally showing your Slytherin side."

Rose bit her lip. "So, you think I'm getting mean?"

Scorpius shook his head. "Slytherins aren't mean. We're just… we don't let people walk all over us. That's not a bad thing."

Rose nodded. "I guess so…" she said dubiously. She then looked at Scorpius. "Wait… why'd you follow me?"

Scorpius paused. "Um… after what Potter said, I was worried about you…" Rose surprised her new friend by hugging him suddenly. "What was that for?" he asked her awkwardly.

"Thank you," Rose said simply. "Now come on. I bet I can crush you in Wizard Chess."

**A/N. Jules again! Hope you enjoyed chapter five of "Is This Real Life?"**

**So, questions. What did you think of Rose's plan? Do you think she'll be successful, or will it blow up in her face? How about Albus? What did you think about that?**

**As much as I liked the Peeves idea, it turns out I really hate writing Peeves scenes. It's really hard for me to get into his character. Oh, well. **

**You know, Hermione's okay with Rose being in Slytherin, but how do you think Ron's REALLY taking it? Hmmm? XD**

**Now, RoseMalfoy101 said "I was a bit shocked James nor Fred said anyting on the train ride when they walked they have better manners than Al." Well, I think that's a point that needs to be addressed, so here's your answer! **

**In this story, it's not that James and Fred have BETTER manners than Al. The thing is, they're just slightly more mature. But the main distinguishing characteristic between James + Fred and Al is the level of respect they have for Harry. James and Fred basically idolize Harry and will do ALMOST anything he says. Harry said not to fight with Scorpius, and not to be all prejudiced, so they're trying not to be. They're still distancing themselves from Rose, though. They're just more… quiet about their rudeness. **

**Albus does what he wants. If he wants to be rude, he is. If he doesn't like someone, he shows it. He wears his heart on his sleeve.**

**Anyway, thanks! Next chapter will be in Scorpius' point of view!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Scorpius Point of View**

I don't know what made me want to become friends with Rose Weasley. Maybe it was the way she stuck up for Slytherin on the first day we met on the Hogwarts Express. Or perhaps it was the way she managed to hold her head high, even while being openly shunned by her family members at the school. But I think the main reason was that she needed someone. All my life, I had relied on people- my father, my mother. But now, someone else needed _me._ Finally, I had a purpose.

And I reveled in it.

When Rose wasn't with me, she was with Will. When I wasn't with her, I was typically alone, as pathetic as that may sound. The boys in my dorm were generally stupid or mean- spirited. I could only take so much of David Goyle or Joseph Nott before going insane. David was by far the dumbest person I had ever met, and Joe just enjoyed being rude for absolutely no reason. But I didn't mind being alone. On the contrary, I actually liked it. When I was sitting at a secluded table in the library, no one was pointing and whispering "Look, it's Draco Malfoy's kid." I was just Scorpius in those moments. Of course, I was just Scorpius with Rose, as well.

Rose and I were sitting out by the lake one day after classes, practicing for transfiguration. We were plucking blades of grass and turning them into needles, then back to grass. It was much more difficult turning the back, so we were working on that the most. Will had been sitting with us, but she got bored and went to find someone to play Exploding Snap with. Will was great, but she had the attention span of the needles we were working with.

Both of us had nearly mastered the spell when an angry figure stomped over, casting a shadow over us. "Rose!" Albus Potter yelled.

We both looked up. I actually had to cover my mouth to stifle a laugh, as Potter was covered in what looked like ink and feathers. "Al?" Rose asked innocently after a minute.

Potter let out an enraged shout. "Don't give me that innocent crap, Rose! You know what you did!"

"And what is it that she did?" I asked with insolence.

"Your little friend made Peeves tail me!" Potter spat out.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Maybe I did. I don't know."

Albus lunged, as if to hit her, but I was faster. "_Stupefy!_" I yelled, causing Potter to go flying several feet backwards.

He jumped up and whipped his wand from the inside of his robes. "Oh, you'll pay for that," he said menacingly, pointing it at me.

Potter opened his mouth. "_Petrificus Totalus!_" But the voice was not his, and the black haired Gryffindor stiffened and fell to the ground. I turned and saw Rose, still pointing her wand at Potter.

"Why did you do that?" I asked in shock.

Rose was shaking. "He knows way more jinxes than you do. It comes with the territory in our family. It just wouldn't have been a fair fight, and he knows it."

"And… do you, you know… know all those jinxes, too?" Rose was always so sweet and calm, I couldn't imagine her hexing anyone.

Rose nodded. "We've been learning this stuff since we were eight years old. For self-defense, you know. There are still plenty of people out there who want mine and Al's parents dead. Why else do you think Defense Against the Dark Arts is my best subject?"

I remained silent for a moment. It was true that Rose seemed to know more about defense than the other students, but I always just assumed that she read ahead in the textbook. "People are still after your parents?" I finally asked.

Rose nodded. "Yeah. About two years ago, someone hexed James when he was walking around Diagon Alley, because the attacker was trying to get to my Uncle Harry."

"But Harry Potter killed Voldemort," I stated, utterly confused.

"Yes," Rose replied patiently. "But he didn't get rid of every single Death Eater out there, did he? There were a lot of very secretive ones, you know. The Aurors have been trying to track them all down ever since the War ended. I would have thought your dad would have told you that."

"My father doesn't like to talk about the Death Eaters. Or the War. Or work. Or anything, really," I admitted. My father was hardly ever home. When he was, he didn't really talk to me very much.

"Ms. Weasley! Mr. Malfoy!" came a shocked voice from behind us. I saw Rose close her eyes briefly as she realized that we were standing there having a casual conversation fright in front of the petrified Potter. We turned slowly to see Professor Longbottom there with vines tumbling out of a large pot that he held. The vines twitched as Longbottom adjusted his grip on the pot.

"Professor Longbottom," I said grudgingly. Why did he always have to catch me? In fact, just the day before, he called me out for talking and took points from Slytherin, even though the majority of the class had also been talking.

"Mr. Malfoy! Did you petrify Mr. Potter?" he asked angrily. I glanced over at Rose and, knowing how much trouble she would most likely get into for hexing her cousin, got ready to take the fall.

"Yes, sir. I…"

"I did it," Rose interjected from beside me.

Longbottom cast his gaze over the two of us. "Rose, what…? Why would you want to hex your own cousin?"

Rose shrugged. "Al's been acting like a real prick lately, and I guess I just got fed up with it."

"How did you learn to do…" Longbottom trailed off, a look of realization dawning on his round face. "Ah, right. Sometimes, I forget who your mother is. She hit me with a body- bind curse in our first year."

I saw an opportunity to distract Longbottom, and jumped at it. He was infamous for getting off topic with his stories about Hogwarts. "Why did she do that?"

"Oh, she, Harry, and Ron were sneaking out, and I decided to take it upon myself to try and stop them, to prevent Gryffindor losing points." Longbottom shook his head. "Regardless, Miss Weasley, I will be writing to your parents and you will serve two detentions with me, beginning tomorrow night." Longbottom took another look at Potter. "And what is he covered in?"

"Ink and feathers, I believe," Rose answered. "He had a run- in with Peeves." Longbottom nodded and revived Potter, who stood slowly, flexing and stretching his stiff limbs. He shot his cousin an extremely dirty look.

The next morning at breakfast, it was Rose who got a Howler, this time in her mother's voice, shouting about respect and family loyalty. I noticed that while the Gryffindors were giving Rose dirty looks, the Slytherins seemed to have newfound respect for her. Many of them had been wary of the red head, since her parents did not get along well with many of their own familyies. Hexing the Potter boy seemed to put her in even the older students' good graces.

**A/N: Jules again. Sorry it's taken so long to update this! I've been getting ready for exams, and this chapter was just hard for me to write. I had mild writer's block, which is why this chapter is so short. But school's out now, so I'll have much more time to write! **

**So, favorite characters? What did you think of what Peeves did to Al? Or Rose's body- bind spell? And how do you like the way I'm portraying Rose and Scorpius?**


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